Review by smessing10 -- The Altitude Journals

[smessing10]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Altitude Journals" by David J Mauro.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Altitude Journals is an impactful story about David Mauro (the author) and the struggle that leads him to the mountains by first climbing Denali in Alaska. This experience leaves Mauro a changed man, set on fixing his disintegrating life. Seeking the answer to these obstacles, he ends up finding love and gradually repairing his at home life. However, as the challenges insue, so does the calling of the mountains, ready and willing to teach David how to resolve the current issue he is facing. The story hits a peak on Everest, the final challenge of the “Seven Summits” (including Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Denali, Elbrus, Everest, Kilimanjaro, and Vinson Massif) as the importance of his accomplishments materialize themselves to him.

There are various unique qualities that made The Altitude Journals an enjoyable read. It was chronologically organization, making the story easy to follow. Additionally, the pictures Mauro chose to include make a noticeable difference in the development of key moments that take place in the story. Where the book lacks pictures, David Mauro makes up for in vivid descriptions such as “We made our way to a lush green oasis where a pride of lions was lying about in the grass with full, bulging bellies. Animals that would normally be prey for the lions grazed about them unafraid. They seemed to know the pride had eaten for the day and represented no threat.” Finally, the unfiltered, genuine story and inspirational achievements of David Mauro presents that the journey itself is as significant, if not more significant, than the destination.

I did not find much that I disliked about this book. I wish Mauro would have included more pictures to display additional bits of the journey, but this did not hinder the story by any means. Occasionally, a sentence tripped me up and I had to read it twice; however, I attributed this to David Mauro’s individualistic writing style, as this problem seemed to improve the longer I read. I do not recommend this for anyone under the age of 13 as there was some strong language, including F-bombs, scattered throughout the book, as well as a small amount of sexual content. The chapters got longer and more descriptive the further I read, so I was disappointed most with the fact that the book wasn’t longer to include more details in the beginning chapters.

The Altitude Journals would appeal most to those seeking an adventure story or going through a great struggle in their life. Considering that the story is about overcoming life challenges, it could be inspiring to anyone who can see any of Mauro’s situations as their own and use this to seek the help they need. Also, crazy thrill-seekers will love the tale of unexpected danger from both the mountains and the journeys taken to get to the mountains. Those who have trouble finding the beauty in nature are not likely to appreciate the story The Altitude Journals has to share. Much of the beauty in the book is derived from the journey to the next location. So, if you aren’t into the great outdoors, this is not the book for you.

I couldn’t help but rate The Altitude Journals 4 out of 4 stars. It was a thrilling, well-written book about overcoming obstacles and living life to the fullest. Even though the writing style seems unconventional to me, I couldn’t rate it 3 stars because of the remarkable story. In most cases, the quality of the story makes the book, and this is a prime example of that. It may have been an usual book while I was reading it, but I couldn’t stop reading.

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The Altitude Journals
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